Kesri has second thoughts on co-ordination panel

Sitaram Kesri is beginning to dimly suspect that the Congress-United Front co-ordination committee to ensure smooth functioning of the Gujral government is just a honey-lined trap.

Several Congressmen have been urgently telling him just that, going over to his house for the purpose thrice in the last two days. They told him formation of such a committee would mean the Congress would be forced to continue supporting the Gujral government and thus lose much of its bargaining power.

According to a party joint secretary, those who advised Kesri against joining the committee were his associates, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Pranab Mukherjee, Tariq Anwar and V N Gadgil.

Interestingly, one Congressmen, who is keen on the co-ordination committee, is Sharad Pawar, the party's leader in the Lok Sabha. Since Kesri is a Rajya Sabha member, his supporters feel that Pawar wants such a panel set up to improve his own position to Kesri's detriment. The party chief's aides also feel Kesri should keep a watch on Pawar's activities henceforth.

An impatient Pawar met Kesri on Friday at the latter's Purana Qila Road home and asked about the progress made in the setting up the committee. He reportedly asked Kesri to name Congress members who are to be included in the committee. Kesri allegedly avoided the issue, stating that the Congress Working Committee would discuss the creation of the co-ordination committee before naming those to be accommodated on it.

Kesri is reportedly considering inviting Prime Minister Inder Gujral for lunch or dinner at the Congress headquarters on May 1. That is when he plans to bring up the issue, Congress officials said. Kesri feels that instead of having many members, the coordination committee should consist of just Gujral and himself.

Meanwhile, the Left parties have urged Gujral to himself broach the subject, since the Congress has not yet forwarded names of Congressmen to be put on the proposed committee. Left leaders fear that Kesri may have gone back to his conspiratorial ways, definitely not a good omen for the proposed committee.